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Activist and former presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) Omoyele Sowore has dismissed the Supreme Court's ruling on local government autonomy as ineffective.
Pulse reports that the Supreme Court ordered that the federal government should henceforth directly pay allocations to local government councils from the federation accounts.
In a judgement delivered on Thursday, July 11, 2024, a seven-member panel of justices ruled that state governments abuse their powers by retaining and using LGA funds.
Reacting to this ruling, Sowore noted that the political spectrum remains polluted unless local government leadership are democratically elected.
Sowore, who reacted via his X handle, wrote, "As long as Nigerian state governors control the state electoral machinery, ruthlessly rig Local Government elections, and install their minions (minimes) in the LGAs, the Supreme Court ruling would remain ineffective!
"And at any rate, any time @officialABAT is seen around control of funds, run, please run!"
How it went down in court
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024 and filed on behalf of the government by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the FG sought recognition of LGAs as an autonomous third tier of government in the country.
Fagbemi prayed the court to issue an order prohibiting state governors from arbitrarily, unilaterally, and unlawfully dissolving democratically elected LG administrators.
The suit, predicated on 27 grounds, also sought an order to allow LG funds to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the unlawful joint accounts created by governors.